In order to develop exposed films, the individual filmstrips are removed from the film cartridges, spliced together and, wound onto a drum, fed into the film developing machine.
The individual filmstrips are spliced together in a splicer apparatus, the filmstrips being automatically removed from the film cartridge and spliced together. After film development and production of prints, the filmstrips, the completed prints, and the associated mailing envelopes are assembled correctly at a delivery point, priced, and sent back to the customers.
To automate splicing of the filmstrips, Swiss Patent 530 034 discloses an apparatus for loading automatic film processing machines which has a motor-driven carousel that is equipped with slide-in retainers for magazines, each of which has multiple compartments for positioned receiving of one film container each. Arranged at a specific point on the rotation path of the magazines positioned on the carousel is a transport apparatus for lifting displacement of one magazine at a time, which when the magazine pivots inward automatically couples with it and moves all the magazine compartments, in stepped fashion, past a specific point for processing of the film containers.
Also proposed is an apparatus in which axially aligned chambers are configured in a cylindrical member in a circle around the member center axis, in which chambers multiple film cartridges are housed, stacked axially one above another. This apparatus is coupled to a splicer apparatus for automatic removal of the film cartridges and for processing of the filmstrips.
The disadvantage of this apparatus becomes evident when a defective film cartridge is detected in one of the chambers. In this instance the magazine must be taken off the splicer apparatus and then an entire column of film cartridges must be removed, by means of a separate auxiliary apparatus, from the chamber in question, and the defective film cartridge separated and repaired; and if this is not immediately possible, an empty cartridge must be placed at this point and the entire column put back into the chamber. Then the magazine must be reattached to the splicer apparatus.
This procedure is time-consuming and laborious, and interrupts the film processing process in an intolerable manner. If the defective film cartridge is not removed, this causes machine jams and possibly damage to the machine, the film cartridge, and not least the filmstrip, so that proper print production can no longer be guaranteed.